'Jess',

'... What's going on outside your window??'

or

'... Are you so afraid of standing outside YOUR BOX???'

What a refreshing take. Some get it, so many don't!!! But what a great
angle!!! It was there all along for me, but I never wrote it, YOU
HAVE!!!

Refusing to stand outside one's box, to simply and open mindedly
consider other points of view, other perspective, other beliefs:
...It would like someone arguing for only a small portion of the prize
he or she won!!!

WHAT THE HECK, OPEN-MINDEDNESS DOES CAUSE A SKULL FRACTURE!!! What are
people sooooo afraid of!!!

Glad to see many friends came out to play this great game with you
'Jess'!

people have a tendancy to stay with in either what they know or their
comfort zones.


we all can use a little mind opening, even those of us that think we are
the mental elitist.

Jess, I don't know much about the terrain there. What I'm talking about
is creating pipelines to some main sources that would then line out to
the ranches, homes, industries, cities and such. Yes, an expensive
undertaking, especially on a large rock like Australia. But that's one
of the reasons it would be a good test site. This is where the
innovative thinkers will come up with the best ideas for getting the
water where it is needed.
Drink the fresh water, use the recycled or reclaimed water for the
rest.
If the largest nations in the world were as concerned about the state
of our echo system, and the effects on something as important as our
water supply, maybe we would not expend so much energy trying to change
the lives or attack the beliefs of people elsewere. (I use the word
"we" to indicate the world at large, not any particular country).

Most of, but not all of the population is based on the eastern coast
line of Australia, then we have one large spine of mountain ranges
called The Great Dividing range which runs from the tip of Queensland
down to the southern areas of Victoria.

From the northern most point of Australia, to the Southern parts of
mainland Australia.

The majority, but not all, of our grazing lands for cattle and sheep
lies west of this range, all the way down the eastern coastline of
Australia.....thats where things get tricky...

What are we going to feed our livestock, our export businesses, wheat,
sheep, cattle?

Once again, I am not looking at the glass of water for humanity, but the
overall impact...animals, farming, FOOD.

My window is always open to crawl through ... (although thats a
different story)

Im leaving the warm coziness of the UK (yeah riiight) to pack my stuff
in a bag and onto my motorbike, and Im off to Greece.

Not a big journey in terms of miles, but it will cross two major
stretches of water, I will go through 5 different countries and visit
two friends on the way.

After that little journey, its pack up my troubles in my old kit bag and
head back to the UK, (visit a friend on the way) to pick up my dive gear
and head to Thailand for a winter of frolicking in the clear blue water
of the Andaman Sea.

In terms of what is going on in the world.

I have the BBC as my home page on the net. I find it interesting to see
what is going on in "interesting" corners of the world.

I ask our American friends ...
Without looking on Google for the info, who knows the current ruler of
Australia?

Jess,

"""What are we going to feed our livestock, our export businesses,
wheat,sheep, cattle?

Once again, I am not looking at the glass of water for humanity, but the
overall impact...animals, farming, FOOD.

Yes, I understand. But what you export is that water, turned into
food. The bigger picture is what makes your dilema something that
should be of concern for many who need your exports.

Everywhere I go, every super store, grocery store, discount store has
water for sale. It's even in our vending machines. As if there was a
never ending, ever ready supply of it. It's imported by multi millions
of gallons. There must be a way to get it to Australia at least until
something more efficient can be devised.

So much for globalization, huh? Keep us updated, would you.
Who knows what opportunities may arize just by keeping us filled in from
your view.

Red, ok, Australia, as an affluent country, can access this bottled
water, however, I wonder with this 'never ending supply' provided from,
where?

And for poorer countries?

I see the focus of this thread shifted to Australia, yes because I live
here, and speak with many from around here, it is my environ, my the
whole motivation for this thread was to expand the veiw way past my
window, way past your window, and back 'out there'...the bits we can't
see from our windows.

To look piece by piece at the bigger problems facing countries by far
worse off than mine or yours..

that are impacted by us...by our every action.

I was trying to take this further..




And Duncan I will shush on the question..

looking out into the vast expanse that is our world (collectively) we
see all kinds of struggle and strife.

we see hunger, we see wars (every corner of the globe from the
phillipines to iraq, to bosnia, and the former eastern blocks), we see
religious upheavel (what used to be protastant and catholic is now
muslim and christian), social unrest from economic disparity, famon,
drought, floods, eruptions, lethargy, kaos. the world is caving in on
itself.

we also see, compassion, sharing, giving of ones self, technology,
growth (believe it or not) both mentally and spiritually, we see
development of those same irragation problems you mentioned as well as
renewable fuels, new ways of controlling carbon emmissions, we are
trying, albeit not as quickly as some would like but we are making
inroads.

i do think that we are responsible, or should say, do impact some things
that happen in the world by our actions, but i do not and dont think i
will except the premise that it is our fault (the more fortunate lands
of the world) of why the world is the way that it is. there are many
factors that have brought about many different conditions on this
planet, from poor management of industrial type waste from all countries
ranging from the US to even places like africa and the middle east. not
just the industrial waste but you have the human factor as well,
whenever a mass of people come together in close proximity without the
proper means of dissposal of trash and human waste then eco systems get
turned upside down and what used to be some kind of fertile ground then
turns to barren waste land. that then allows the wind currents to be
altered with further reprocussions on everything else, ie droughts,
storms, etc.

it doesnt mean i wish to just sit around and wait for some people to
finally get together and solve all the problems. changes need to happen,
for the drought rampped areas, i was talking to a lady who said that the
water is still on the planet somewhere- just kinda moved to some other
local, how can we move it back seems to be a big freaking problem. im
not a rocket scientist so i dont have that solution but there are some
smart people in the world who can figure it out im sure.

how to help those who need the help, but will only except the help with
conditions attached is another problem, they need the help, why wont
they except it on face value instead of adding- yes will take your help
on this but we also want this before you are allowed to help us. doesnt
make any sense. you can advise a third world country that dumping waste
where they live is not the healthiest of conditions but if they choose
not to do something about it then what, should we go in armed and make
them do the right thing hygenically as well as environmentally?

its a big assed messed, no denying it, but the sky isnt quite falling in
on us yet, were getting there.


doc

the world needs optomists ay doc.if there is any truth in the history we
have access to, human kind has spent more money time and energy rape,
pillage and plundering the resources of this planet than
sustainability.this planet is finite and you get a thiner slice of the
pie the more people you have to share it with.i think my composting
worms are smarter than human beings when their food supply runs low they
stop breeding .

Hi Jess...just passing through while looking for some water.

Anybody seen any....all our lakes and rivers are drying up over here in
Australia.....and us poor critters need water to survive.

I know what you mean Rivame...us poor skippys have to travel further and
further to find food..

And dodge more and more cars to get there..

Yea and at least you skippys can hop buy all the trees are burning in
bushfires and i have no where to live. Nearly had my ear singed
yesterday.....

THE PENGUINS HAVE ARRIVED AT OUR CITY ZOO!!! WOO HOO!!!!

how much can a koala bear Rivame?

Oh this little koala bears a lot.

Just hungry and thirsty.

Hey Riva, what are you koalas going to do when you run out of trees?

Can't eat dirt...

Oh I guess we will have to go to the supermarkets like everyone else and
get some of that genetically modified stuff.

Hope they at least make them look like gum leaves.

Ummm Riva, they dont let our kind in supermarkets...


Koala, kangaroo ring a bell, umm, native animals???

Ohhhhhhh...just had sad thought

If the farmers cant grow crops...and they cant afford to feed the
cattle......and people need to eat

maybe we will be next on the food chain.